iTunes U, a section of iTunes dedicated to educational content, has amassed over 300 million downloads since its launch more than three years ago. Apple says this noteworthy achievement makes iTunes U “the world’s most popular online educational catalog.” The company quoted its iTunes boss Eddy Cue who said the following in a prepared statement:

iTunes U makes it easy for people to discover and learn with content from many of the world’s top institutions. With such a wide selection of educational material, we’re providing iTunes users with an incredible way to learn on their computer, iPhone, iPod or iPad.

iTunes U launched on May 30, 2007 in collaboration with colleges and universities. Provided as a dedicated iTunes Store section, iTunes U initially launched with educational content from Harvard, MIT, Cambridge, Oxford, University of Melbourne, and Université de Montréal.

Today, it features over 350,000 audio and video podcasts from qualifying two- and four-year accredited, degree-granting, public or private colleges and universities around the world, including universities in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, and Singapore, in addition to more than 800 universities throughout the world. Some content is only available to the students enrolled in specific classes, but nearly half of it is published publicly.

Christian’s Opinion

I’ve been using iTunes U since its inception and it served me well as an indispensable (and free) source of knowledge. The combination of iTunes’ sheer reach and approved educational content proved fitting for the iPod generation. Remember that we’re talking about very high quality content here, including university courses, lab demonstrations, special lectures, presentations, PDFs, etc. Trust me, finding a quality read from the world’s top educational institutions the traditional way requires a lot of time and patience.

iTunes U has it organized in one place, easily searchable, and browsable. I love the ability to subscribe to an entire lecture series that iTunes will automatically download. And if you’re using Apple’s mobile devices, you can transfer this content easily to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and continue your research on the go. If you never used the iTunes U section, I highly recommend you consider it as a free and valuable tool to teach yourself something new.